Art Of War
by PestilentJackal
Summary: A band of rebels who call themselves "Rose Squadron" are on the rise, and the 7th Fleet has been tasked with crushing them. Grand Admiral Thrawn is worried however, as his people, the Chiss, face a new type of enemy on the edge of the galaxy. Can Thrawn help the Empire and his people at the same time? Or will he have to make the hardest decision of his life?
1. Chapter 1: Architects of Destruction

_Hey everyone! I am trying my hand at writing a Star Wars story about a band of rebels who are from different places of the Galaxy. I will try an upload a chapter once a week on Friday with my other story as well! Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 1: Architects of Destruction

 **If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a thousand battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory you gain will be matched with a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.**

Five ships glide through the vacuum of space. Two Victory-class Star Destroyers, two blockade runners, and an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer. The ISD Sovereign was in the lead. Within one of its offices, held two of the galaxies most influential government members.

A man sits behind the circular conference table. He perches behind a recording machine. Behind him, encased in glass, is a model of the ship. His cheeks are sunken in with age. The gray hair that sits upon his head shimmers in the light. He is an ambitious, ruthless proponent of military power. The woman stands on the other side. Her black hair is cut off so that is in lines up with her nose. Her blue eyes are the only bright thing in the room. She was here due to the rebel's victories against the Empire. Both of them in gray uniforms.

"Governer Pryce," Grand Moff Tarkin said. His voice had a slight Eriaduian accent. "How is Lothal?"

"Lothal is doing quite well, Moff Tarkin," Pryce responded, putting her hands behind her back, "But I am here due to the recent attack on Naraka. I believe this is the beginning of larger rebel attacks."

"I concur with you, Governor," Tarkin stands walking around the table to stand next to her, "Lord Vader has dealt with the insurgency's Jedi leader, but these rebels have proven to be particularly stubborn." He was now standing next to her. "How do you plan to solve this problem?"

"I want the 7th Fleet." She replied

Tarkin only nodded. He wiped at his brow, "And what of Admiral Rakfall and his fleet?" Pyrce handed him a datapad. Tarkin walked back around the table and sat, placing the card in front of him.

"Admiral Rakfall is more a politician than a soldier," She leaned in, "I need someone who sees a bigger picture."

The Grand Moff nodded, "Very well then, you shall have the fleet. You are dismissed."

As she walked out of the office, Arihnda Pryce smiled to herself. Using the same persuasion she had used to get Tarkin to give her the title of Governor of Lothal, she had won herself the 7th Fleet. But more important than that, she had won herself the end of the rebellion.

"I am certain Governor Pryce is overestimating the organization of the rebellion," Admiral Rakfall stand around a holo-map which was currently turned off. With him is Tarkin and Agent Funaya of the ISB. "While it is true that there are pockets of resistance, there has never been any evidence of a larger scale, galaxy-wide operation."

"And I would like to keep it that way," a voice mussed. It is deep and rich. The three heads turn to see a figure emerge from the darkness, "Admiral Rakfall." The figure is a tall male in a white uniform. His blue skin contrasts his glowing red eyes. Governer Pyrce is to the right of this newcomer.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn," Tarkin greets the Chiss Admiral.

"Grand Admiral?" Admiral Rakfall's eyes widen with surprise.

"The Emperor recently promoted me after my victory at Batonn." Thrawn stares at Rakfall.

"Civilian casualties outnumbered the insurgents," Funaya said, "At the time."

"Acceptable margins, Agent Funaya," the Governer interjected, "For there are no longer any rebels in that sector."

Silence rippled through the bridge on the Sovereign for three reasons. The first was that an alien achieved the rank of Grand Admiral. It was rare for an alien even to become an officer in the navy, much less a higher ranking one. The second was the fact that Thrawn had managed to rid an entire sector of planets of rebels. The last reason was Thrawn's actual presence. He did not ask for respect, he demanded it. Rumor had it that he once killed his old translator because he spoke when Thrawn was speaking. The real fact he was not here was because he was helping the Chiss Ascendancy by orders of both Thrawn and the Empire. The rumor was probably made to slow down the Grand Admiral's progression through the ranks of the Imperial Navy.

"Well, Thrawn, what do you think of Pryce's theory about the rebels in the Lothal sector?" Tarkin asked, turning to the Chiss.

Thrawn pulled out a data card and put it into a slot in the holo-table. "This is an identification card of the prisoner the rebels saved from Naraka's prison, Marri Hojiwi," a holo-photo of the man appears in front of them. "Within the last hour, the Rose Squadron destroyed mining ships using the Sereeda hyperspace waypoint," the group leans towards the table as a hologram of the planet appears. Thrawn moves a hand to his chin, "Taken separately, they may seem like nothing, but Ohnaka's cellmate was a laborer at our starfighter reclamation plant in the Yarma system." A red dot appears on the hologram, "One jump point away from the Sereeda attack."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn believes that the rebels intend to raid the plant, and steal our fighters for their fleet, " Pryce announced, her eyes squinting with anger.

"Every ship they add to their arsenal increases the threat to our armada and the Emperor's plans," Thrawn looks around at the others, no emotion on his face.

"I trust you have a solution?" Tarkin questioned. It was a stupid one, but no one wanted to speak up. The Chiss always had a solution to any problem.

Thrawn waved his hand, pointing to the bridge. "I will start my operations here,' he declared, "and pull the rebels apart piece by piece." Everyone looked up at him as he paused. Thrawn looked back at them, reading their faces, trying to get a read of their emotions. Rakfall was looking at him with question. "They will be the architects of their owns destruction," Thrawn coldly stated. He turned and left the bridge, heading to his ship.


	2. Chapter 2: Old Friends, Older Foes

_Hi guys! Sorry for the late upload, this past week I have been working on both Friends of Invisibility and Art of War, so I can perhaps work on more chapters for both. Right now, I am focusing most of my time on Art of War because more interesting characters are coming in the next chapter. But for now, I hope you enjoy "Chapter 2: Old Friends, and Even Older Enemies!"_

Chapter 2: Old Friends, and Even Older Enemies.

 **All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make them believe we are far, far away; and when we are far away, we must make them believe we are near.**

"The situation is preceding much as you planned, Grand Admiral," Pryce spoke into the holo-screen which projected Thrawn in his office. During the night, a small rebel fleet had tried to escape the surface of Cheliv, a moon of the nearby planet of Duinope. It was bad timing on their part, as the ISD Cain was in high orbit at the time. When the battle first started, she immediately contacted Thrawn for his insight. He'd told her to hold the Cain within orbit and deploy the TIE fighters to engage. With Pryce was Admiral Rakfall and Agent Funaya. "The rebel fleet, composed of three star cruisers, are abandoning the moon.

Thrawn stared down on her, "That is not the rebel fleet."

She was dumbfounded. How was that not the rebel fleet? The rebel emblem was on the side of the lead ship and they used X-Wings. She knew better to question the Grand Admiral, but sometimes it was hard to restrain herself. She kept her face emotionless and nodded, "What are your orders, Grand Admiral?"

"Break off your attack, Governor. Let them escape with their," he paused, "meager reward." Rakfall glanced sideways at Funaya. The Admiral was surprised by this command.

"Very good, Grand Admiral," Pyrce said, and Thrawn's image blurred out of existence.

"We're," Rakfall studded, "letting them... Get away?" Rakfall asked when the Governer turned, "I don't understand!"

"I know you don't," Pryce replied, "But rest assured, Thrawn has a much larger goal in mind than just capturing a single rebel cell."

Aboard the ISD Chimaera, Thrawn rose from his desk. Around him were art, some holo-projected, some real. His particular favorite was a Temple Guardian's mask. He had found it in the archives of the Imperial Palace. He approached another Holo-desk and inputted a number. He then pushed another button that locked the door to the office.

"Commander," Thrawn said as a hologram popped up in front of him.

"Grand Admiral," A man not older than him appeared in front of him, his voice containing a Wild Space accent. He wore an all-black uniform. On his chest was a rank insignia which bore the title of Commander. The two have been through a lot together, starting from when the Empire found him during his exile. The two men have not seen each other since Thrawn had sent him to the Chiss homeworld of Csilla. "How have you've been Thrawn?" Commander Eli Vanto was the only person in the entire Navy, besides the Emperor and Lord Vader who called the Grand Admiral by his name. Many people feared the punishment of what would happen.

"Good, Commander, and you?" Thrawn asked. Vanto had helped him get through Royal Imperial with a friend. Both of them were outsiders, with Vanto being from Wild Space and Thrawn being Chiss. They had stuck together since the first day at the academy. Thrawn had named Vanto as his "aide," even though everyone knew he didn't need one.

"Good. Your people are doing well," The hologram of Vanto shimmered. This happened many times during their discussions, as they were on opposite sides of the galaxy, using Chiss communications. Thrawn had sent Vanto to the Chiss Ascendancy to help his people to combat an enemy. In the entire Empire, only three people knew about this combatant. The Emperor, Thrawn, and Vanto.

"Were there any attacks?" Thrawn asked. Even though he was exiled by the Chiss, he took it as his responsibility to protect them. If war broke out between the Chiss and the enemy, the entire galaxy would get involved. And the entire galaxy would crumble to them.

"None, but we are preparing defenses for the Chiss," Vanto said, swiping at his datapad, "As you know, when they invade the Galaxy, the Chiss will be the first to be attacked."

Thrawn nodded. He already knew this, but every time he heard the news, he was filled with hopelessness. His people will be the first to die if the enemy invaded. He had to put the thought off though. He needed to focus on the rebel scum. "We will speak soon, Commander," Thrawn answered and turned off the holo-projector.

He walked back to his desk and sat down. He needed to stay strong, needed to get his mind off of the attack. He unlocked the door to his office and walked out into the hallway. It was about time he landed on the surface of Lothal and start ripping these rebels apart.


	3. Chapter 3: An Urgent Message for Mom

_Its already Friday? "Finally!" you say to yourself, "Time to meet our new characters!" And I respond with "YEAH! But you only get to meet three, and you only see a bit of them," and you guys stare at me and think "What the fuck Richard?" Anyways, here is Chapter Three of Art of War "_ An Urgent Message for Your Mom!"

Chapter 3: An Urgent Message for Your Mom.

 **If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for them. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate them. Pretend to be weak, so they may grow arrogant. If they are taking their ease, give them no rest. If their forces are united, separate them.**

"I want that fleet destroyed!" Vice Admiral Attor yelled from his chair on the bridge of the ISD Rage. In front of them was a Mon Calamari Cruiser and two frigates. Below the ships, the rebel base on Gargolyn IV, a lush planet that the Rebellion had help for many years. Now it was being evacuated after Grand Moff Tarkin found the location.

Back on the bridge, and alert light comes on.

"Sir, one object is approaching!" A comms officer reports, "It appears to be an X-wing fighter!"

Vice Admiral Attor turns around, facing the viewports, "What?"

"Attention," a voice comes over the bridges comm network before Attor issues the order to fire, "This is Captain Megrez Dawnwalker of the Rebel Alliance. I have an urgent communication for Vice Admiral Attor."

"Patch him through," the Vice Admiral walks towards a communicator, "This is Vice Admiral Attor of the Imperial Navy, commander of the Imperial Star Destroyer Rage. Your rebellion will be crushed." Silence

"So," Megrez still approaches the Rage, "I'm holding for Vice Admiral Attor."

"I am he, you and your friends will be wiped from the galaxy!" Attor replies. More silence

"Ok, I'll hold," a smirk appears on Megrez's face.

"Hello?" Attor askes.

"Hello?" Megrez mimics.

"Can you," he pauses, looking down at the comms officer, "Can he hear me?"

"He should be able to, Vice Admiral."

"Attor," Megrez says over the bridge comms, "A-t-t-o-r? Big, round guy. Kind of pasty?"

"I can hear you," Attor looks up, turns and storms to the viewports, "Can you hear me?"

"Look, I can't hold forever," Megrez motions "If you reach the Vice Admiral, tell him the rebellion has a message for him," he pauses, holding back a snicker, "about his mom."

The Vice Admiral turns angerly, "OPEN FIRE!"

Suddenly, the X-wing jumps to sub-light, flying right at the Rage.

"What is he doing?" The first officer is stunned, "He cannot penetrate the armor!"

"He is not trying to do so," Attor mumbles. On the right of the viewport, a column of flame erupts where a surface cannon once stood. "He is trying to take out the cannons!"

"First one down!" Megrez woops.

"Let's not get too cocky," Athie Panaka said over rebel comms. She was a runaway princess from Hrasskis who joined the rebellion as an officer with her assassin friend Nikeki Valarian.

A shot nearly took off the extension of the light fighter as Megrez exploded another surface cannon.

"Scatter the fighters!" The Vice Admiral yelled at his bridge crew.

"This is where the fun begins," Megrez smiles, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes.

BLAM another cannon down, just one more to go.

"Crap!" Megrez yelled, "Guns are down!"

"Don't worry," The princess says over the comms, "we are sending in the cavalry."

Sixteen X-wings and Y-wing emerge out of hyperspace near the pointed noise of the Rage. Immediately, two explode when they collide with the TIE fighters. One bomber appears as well, floating slowly towards the main part of the Star Destroyer, it's only protection three blaster turrets.

All at once, the X and Y wings form up on the bomber and give the TIEs living hell, red laser fire combats green laser fire. The mass of rebel ships slowly approaches the center of the armor. A Y wing explodes. Then another. The shield of fighters is thin when by the time when- BAM! A missile hits a wall of 8 fighters, causing them to blow. Only 4 fighters and the bomber remain.

"This is Athie Panaka," a voice comes through the comms of the fighters, "You have done your job, see you on the other-" Athie's voice disappears as a green laser bolt hits the side of the bomber.

"Athie!" Megrez shouts, "You need to drop the payload now!" Hopefully, the message got through. He veered off with the other fighters, leaving the bomber to fend for its self.

Aboard the bomber, Athie drops slides down a ladder into the bay, where the payload of more than a thousand grenades is stored. Above her, the old bombardier and two gunners are dead, and a fire is burning. She opens the hatches, revealing the Star Destroyer under her. She really, really wished that something else was under her. She clutches the remote that will drop the bombs onto the Rage, destroying it completely. Athie's finger hovers above the button that will release the payload when a blast above her rocks the platform she is on, causing her to drop the detonator. She reaches out, trying to grab for it, she needed to grab the detonator!

No.

No.

No.

It can't be over like this. Athie shuts her eyes tightly. She reaches out, putting her hand into space. The detonator floats through her fingers.

"No no no no no no." She cries, no one hearing her. Another blast from above. Suddenly, the payload drops around her, heading to its target.

The bridge crew of the Rage stares out, watching the line of explosions come closer and closer to them. None of them able to move. Soon enough, the glass of the viewports shatters, the officers close to them getting impaled and sucked into the vacuum of space, freezing to death. The others burn alive in the explosion. Atton was ripped to shreds, his blood everywhere as he melted, leaving nothing of him behind. The Rebellion had done it. They have saved their small base and were free to evacuate. They have lived to fight another day. And Athie had lived to finally see her friend again.

But at what cost?


	4. Chapter 4: Warriors of the Shadows

_Its Friday again, which means another chapter for Art of War! Which also means we meet our two newest characters. Don't think, "Oh god, more people to keep track of!" These two will be the last two new characters. I promise! Anyways, here is Chapter four, "Warriors of the Shadows."_

Chapter 4: Warriors of the Shadows

 **Many people think too frequently of dualism: Tyranny and Liberty, Dark and Light, Right and Wrong. But there are three sides of this blade, not two. Opposed and similar at the same time. The third blade is the Warrior.**

A man kneels in front of an altar, praying. He wears black armor. He is inside of a temple, inside of a city, inside of a dome, which is on a planet as barren as space itself. The planet has been ravaged by war, starvation, and Imperial Orbital bombardments. The planet used to be filled with wildlife, now it was as barren as the souls of the people who lived here.

The man stands and grabs a hilt of a blade at the side. He holds it in such a way that the blade, which is missing, is pointed at the altar. He pressed a button and the sword ignites, giving out black energy in the shape and form of a blade. It is heavier than a lightsaber but lighter than a light-spear, making it the perfect choice for the man. The dark blade cuts a hold in the alter.

"Mother," He says, "I will not fail you. I will lead our people to victory."

He turns and grabs a bag with a point coming our the top and puts it on his back. He walks out of the temple, staring down at the speeder cars and trucks flying hundreds of feet under him. His stomach punches a little, and the man hated that it did. It was not like his people to be afraid. He walked to the very edge, staring down. He made sure the bag was secure on his back. Then, he dived off the edge of the platform, plummeting into the traffic.

Usually, the amount of force of the decent would snap a man's neck if he wasn't wearing proper protection. However, this man wore a helmet and the armor of his people. In battle, the helmet and armor usually scared the enemy, causing them to freeze, and allowing the warriors to cut them down, one by one.

While he plummeted down, every instinct in the man's body told him that this was a bad idea. He was getting closer and closer to the sky traffic lanes of the city. So close, in fact, he could see the fingers of people. All of a sudden, the man flipped his body over so his feet were now closer to the traffic than his head. Thankfully, the bag on his back wasn't a normal pack, but a jet booster pack. He thanked Hod Ha'ran silently for the god's creation of flame and the jetpack. He flew just above the traffic, looking for the location of his meeting area with an unidentified woman.

After a bit of flying, he landed behind a large advertisement. On it had a man who looked like a naval Officer pointing in the direction he was facing, to the left. Above his arm were four Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, below his arm a squad of TIE fighters flew, all of them facing to the left. "Take Command," It read, "Enlist in the Imperial Navy Today!" Just looking at the propaganda made him sick. After the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, his planet had been attacked by the Empire and its own people.

He walked into a small walk space and took off his helmet, revealing his uncommon combination of black hair and brown eyes. Most of his people had light hair and light eyes. His parents even followed the standards. He stood at a height that was just a few inches above average.

"Zeth Starkiller," a feminine voice said from the shadows, "It has been a while, hasn't it?" The man, Zeth, faced the shadows as a woman emerged, hooded in black robes. She had a blade at her side, but Zeth knew she most likely had dozens more under the garment. "Mandalore hasn't changed since I left, warrior."

"And you haven't changed since I left, assassin," Zeth responded.

"Please," The woman took off her hood, revealing her dark hair, tinted a different color at the end, with dark colored eyes. She was an inch or two shorter than him, "Call me by my name Zeth. We are friends, remember?"

"I do, Nikeki," Zeth smiled.

"Good," Nikeki returned the friendly gesture, "The crew awaits your return, Zeth"

"Then I suggest we get going."

"Not so fast," Another voice came from behind them. Zeth spun around to see 3 men in blue armor, "You are not going anywhere, boy." Each man had a blaster sidearm in each hand. Zeth and Nikeki were at the wrong side of the blaster, and if they did not act quickly, they would just be more casualties in the Mandalorian clan wars. "You Saxon men will perish along with the Empire."

"Listen, we can make a deal here, can't we?" As Zeth said this, he reached for his blade at his side. A blaster shot fired at him and he deflected it. Nikeki drew her own beskar blade, which was made on Mandalore. She flung herself at the man on the right, while Zeth attacked the other two. Within seconds, the men were down.

"They went this way!" A voice came from down the alley as more footsteps neared. Zeth took Nikeki by the shoulder.

"Do you trust me," Zeth stared her in the eye. She nodded. Zeth released her and ran. By the time the other Mandalorians found their dead brethren, Zeth and Nikeki were at the back of the billboard. Zeth looked at Nikeki, "Grab on and hold on tight!" She followed his command just as blaster fire shot their way. Zeth and Nikeki plunged down to the surface of Mandalore. Nikeki looked up to see at least a dozen more people in white armor jumping down at them.

They hit the ground hard, even though Zeth had used his jet booster pack. They ran on the street level as the other Mandalorians flew above them.

"There!" Nikeki pointed ahead of them at a land speeder. More blaster fire hit around them. They jumped over the speeder and ducked as a missile flew above them. "Why do you Mandalorians have missiles in your damned suits?" Nikeki threw a chip to Zeth, and he inserted it into a hole. The land speeder became full of life and Zeth took off.

"Gods above," Nikeki exclaimed as more missiles flew just above them. They turned a corner, where they saw a Mandalorian standing in the street, hit left-arm out-stretched, but his hand clenched in a fist.

"What the-" Zeth was rudely interrupted in flame came flying at them, the heat burning as Zeth flew by. Behind them, the Mandalorian got on a speeder and followed them.

"Here!" Zeth threw his blaster at Nikeki, "Hold them off until we get to the spaceport!" Nikeki took aim and shot a few bolts at the speeder in pursuit. Zeth took a hard right, and if Zeth hadn't reached out for her, Nikeki would be rolling on the ground beneath them. He drove them through a fence into a yard were ships were stationed. They had made it!

As they jumped out, Nikeki said, "We need to jump to hyperspace as soon as we point upwards!"

"Are you crazy?" Zeth exclaimed, "We are under a dome!"

"Then you have good aim," Nikeki smirked. Even in times like these, she could always make fun of Zeth. They ran at a cargo freighter that was owned by Nikeki and dove in. Zeth ran into the cockpit and looked out the viewports. The Mandalorian that was on the speeder had a rocket launcher out, and was taking aim at them! Zeth turned on the engine and steered the freighter so it was facing up. He hoped that Nikeki was in a secure spot, and not laying on one of the walls.

Just as Zeth hit the button for Lightspeed, the missile hit the ship. Zeth didn't care about the damage and jumped. He didn't care where he ended up, as long as he and Nikeki were safe. Nikeki joined him in the co-pilot spot. She looked at Zeth, and he nodded. He was about to say something, but they were ripped from lightspeed.

"What the hell?" Nikeki muttered. Zeth to figure out what had happened, not bothering to look out the viewports.

"Uh," Nikeki said, "Zeth, look." In front of them was an Imperial Fleet, guarding a planet. Metalorn, a factory world responsible for the production of Imperial weapons and ships. They were flying right at the planet, which meant they were also flying right at the Imperial blockade.

The Mandalorian chuckled, "Just our luck, assassin. Just. Our. Luck."

 _Hey there, it's me again! Just a note that there will be two chapters posted during the week of the 23rd, one for Christmas and one that Friday. I am also starting to write another story. Maybe two. Anyways, see you next Friday!_


	5. Chapter 5: A Meeting and a Vision

_Sorry for the late upload everyone, but this past week has been busy. I've also been working on another story which should be released soon! I don't have anything else to say, so here is Chapter five, "A Meeting and a Vision."_

Chapter 5: A Meeting and a Vision.

Never make the mistake of believing forbearance equates to acceptance, or that all positions are equally valid.

On the surface of Lothal, the Grand Admiral rose to meed the Grand Moff. They shook hands, exchanging greetings.

"Grand Admiral," Tarkin said as both men took a seat.

"Grand Moff." He replied.

"I assume you've been informed of Vice Admiral Attor's death?" The Moff wore his usual olive green uniform with his rank insignia.

"I have." Thrawn nodded, pulling up his datapad, "I've also heard that he lost his Star Destroyer as well." Tarkin nodded. The Emperor was not pleased to hear how one of his chosen high officers lost a battle against a single bomber. In fact, he ordered one of the only survivors of the incident, a TIE fighter pilot to be executed for the Vice Admiral's incompetence.

Switching the topic, the Moff said, "How are you enjoying Lothal, Grand Admiral?"

"It keeps me busy." Thrawn slid the datapad across his desk to Tarkin. "As you can see, I've already found a minor rebel cell by the name of Rose Squadron."

"Isn't that the same cell that attacked our mining ships?" Tarkin questioned.

"Indeed it is, Governor." Thrawn was one of the few imperials that still called Tarkin by his senatorial rank, as he was the governor of his home planet, Eriadu. Usually, the Grand Moff would be angered, but Thrawn was special, like everything he did. He have had a deep hatred for Thrawn when he became a Grand Admiral. That hatred died down over time, but whenever the Emperor praised Thrawn, he could feel the embers flaring.

"So have you figured out what you are going to do with them?" Tarkin's voice had an edge to it.

"Yes, I do." A hologram appeared between the two men, showing the planet. A red dot appeared in the area where they sat. "The cell is 20 blocks away from us, to the south. I plan on launching an assault on land, forcing them to the air. My ship will shoot them down and the Governor will hunt them down." Tarkin nodded. It was a good plan, and at least he had told him about it. Thrawn rarely told anyone about his plans, except for Eli Vanto.

"Well, Grand Admiral, I will leave you to it." Tarkin got up from his side of Thrawn's desk, turned and left. Tarkin leaned back and closed his eyes, thinking about his old homeworld.

The Emperor sat on his throne in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. His scared face showing no emotion, as if he wore a mask. He closed his eyes, letting the Force take over his mind. In his mind, an image appeared. Three people sat on thrones in front of a red backdrop. The center throne was the biggest and most elaborate, with carvings of a forgotten language written on it. The boy on it looked no older than a teenager, but it appeared he was fit to rule. His eyes were brown, but his hair was dark as night. He wore a black tunic with knee-high boots and a long, flowing cape. Upon his head sat a wreath of gold. His cape was also embroidered with the same medal.

On either side of him sat two girls, a tall one that would appear to be almost as tall as the boy on the middle throne, and the other who was a head shorter. The girl who sat upon the throne to the left of the boy wore a black cloak, concealing the top part of her face. In front of her were three lightsabers that shone with red light. They hung suspended in mid-air as if being held up by ghostly arms. Her eyes and hair were brown. The Emperor tried to get a closer look at the girl's blade. He saw writing in the same language that was on the throne. However, the words morphed into Basic. "Voice," it read, indicating her position.

The girl on the right wore a tunic similar to the one the boy wore, except it appeared to have been cut and burned in many places. The cape the girl wore also looked like it had seen many battles. Her lower part of her face was covered by a mask that covered most of her nose and cheeks, and her entire mask. Her eyes were tinged yellow, and her face had two scars that ran from her scalp to her eyebrows. Her hair was in the same cut as Governer Pryce's, only it was brown. Her blade read, "Wrath." The boy got up from his throne and started walking at the Emperor.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you," he said, stoned face, "that your blue pet champion dies." The Emperor's eyes jolted open as he realized whom these three were. He did not know their exact names, but from the titles, the two girls had on their blades, he could tell that the boy held the same title as he did. He was an Emperor, and the two girls were his Wrath and Voice. He reached out to the Force, attempting to get more information. All he got was a dark voice:

"The Dark One shall rise

The Gray one shall fall

The blue shall die

and the rest will fall."


	6. Chapter 6: Reunification

Happy Winter Solstice and happy Friday everyone! Or I think today if Friday. My WiFi has been spotty for no reason besides to piss me off, so I have no clue when this will be uploaded. At least I have Winter Break to fix it. Anyways, here is chapter 6, "Reunification."

Chapter 6: Reunification

Luck is merely an illusion, trusted by the ignorant and chased by the foolish.

Thankfully, the Imperials didn't take any mind to their decent.

"Where are we exactly?" Nikeki peered out the viewports, looking at the fields below. Zeth spun to his left in the pilot's chair, hitting a button. In front of him appeared a star map.

"I didn't expect us to reunite with Rose Squadron so soon," Zeth grinned, "We are descending on Lothal, meaning we'll see our old friends when we find them." Nikeki was just as elated as Zeth. She would finally see her old friend, Admiral Athie Panaka, runaway princess of Hrasskis, a planet being exploited for resources by the Empire. She would also get to see Marri Hojiwi, an alien whom Zeth had recruited into the Rebellion.

"Should I try and comm them?" She said, almost jumping with joy. Zeth nodded and she reached into her pocket, grabbing a cold, silver cylinder. She looked at the detailed map of Lothal, trying to find the nearest comm tower near the hidden base. Zeth, still seated, pointed at one. She entered the coordinance.

"Nikeki to Athie?" She spoke into the commlink.

"So you're alive?" Athie's voice filled the small cockpit.

"That's not how you greet an assassin, Princess," Nikeki responded, "But's is good to hear your voice, Athie."

"Your's too," Nikeki could sense that her friend was smiling.

When night fell, the Ebony Hawk descended near the location of the rebel cell's base. The bay door opened revealing two silhouettes, one taller than the other. One rushed down the opening door into the arms of the princess. They have been separated for a basic week but to the two friends, it felt like decades.

"It's so good to see you!" Athie exclaimed as Nikeki squeezed her tight. The other silhouette walked down the gangway. Zeth had been away from Rose Squadron while he was on Mandalore for five basic months. He nodded at everyone in greeting and walked into the looming cave mouth where the base was hidden. "We have so much to talk about," Athie guided Nikeki into the cave, holding her hand.

The two girls followed Zeth into the depths of the cave to a small, metal door, just big enough for someone to crouch through. When Zeth opened it, lights poured through, showing the rocks around them. As they entered, a rebel officer in brown combats saluted Athie and her friends.

"Admiral," he said, standing at attention. He held a datapad, the screen facing him.

"At ease, Commandore," Athie responded. She motioned at the pad with her hand, "What news do you bring to me?"

The Commandore looked down, unlocked the datapad, and handed it to her, "We have a weak spot in the Stormtrooper garrison, Admiral. Within the base, there are munitions that we desperately need."

"What about reinforcements, Commandore?" Athie glanced up from the pad that held a map of the base, and the list of arms.

A man stepped out from behind the Commandore. His rank insignia identified him as a Captain, "The Admiral said that they will attack when we attack the Garrison, Athie." Most officers would not dare to step out of the chain of command to call her by her name, but this Captain was different. He had helped her destroy the _Rage_.

She nodded. "Good to see you Megrez. I never got to thank you for helping me on that mission."

"I still don't understand why you went as a bombardier," Megrez shook his head, "You could have died out there."

"I could have, but I didn't." She embraced Megrez.

Zeth stood to the side, speaking with a Lieutenant, trying to ignore the embrace. Nikeki turned to him, "Anything you want to say, Zeth?"

"Yes." His face showed no emotion as he turned to the Commandore, "I will be leading the raid on the Rebel garrison as one of my agents are stationed there." Athie was about to say something, but Zeth held up a hand, "I will need twenty-five to thirty men on this mission." The Commandore nodded, turned, and walked away.

The Mandalorian turned to the assassin, the princess and the Captain. "Good night to you three. I will see you in the morning."

Hey It's me again and I want to apologize for the really short chapter this week. I have break this week which means I can write ahead and do more stuff. Anyways, have a good week everyone!


	7. Chapter 7: Enter Funaya

Hey everyone! Sorry for my two week absence but I was sick, spending time with my family over the holidays, and just taking a break. Anyways, here is "Chapter 7: Enter Funaya"

Chapter 7: Enter Funaya  
 _All people have regrets. Warriors are no exceptions. One would hope it was possible to distinguish between events caused by one's carelessness or lack of ability and those caused by circumstances or forces beyond a one's control. But in practice, there is no difference. All forms of regret sear equally into the mind and soul. All forms leave scars of equal bitterness. And always, beneath the scar, lurks the thought and fear that there was something else that could have been done. Some action, or inaction, that would have changed things for the better. Such questions can sometimes be learned from. All too often, they merely add to the scar tissue. A warrior must learn to set those regrets aside as best he can. Knowing full well that they will never be far away._

Ice fell from the dark sky, hitting the ground with loud thuds. A man ran through streets, wheeling a barrel behind him. He wears black armor and is followed by men with dark helmets and black uniforms. They run through the fields of Lothal, getting hit by fist-size pieces of ice. Their mission is simple: Blow up Imperial Turbo-Laser so Y-wings can do their bombing runs on the base beyond.

A massive rock of ice hits the lead man in the shoulder, causing him to curse in pain.

"Why did we have to do it this night?" Zeth complains to a man behind him, "A rock could hit the explosives!" Zeth and his team kept running through the storm, rocks pelting them. They reach a hill, and the team pauses. Zeth signals two of his team members to go forwards. They sprint and drop to their stomachs, searching the area in front of them. They gave the signal that is was clear, and the rest of the team ran forth. As Zeth peaked the hill, he saw their target. A row of turbo-laser towers about a hundred meters apart.

"Sir?" A soldier stood next to Zeth, his slugthrower pointed at the towers, "Where are the guards?" Zeth did not know. Something in his gut told him to hold and wait until they saw something, but he ignored it. He gave the signal for his team to start the move to the closest tower. Two men go in front, their A280s sweeping around. Zeth and two technicians and a demolition expert follow them. Another two men follow behind, scanning the ground behind him. On the hill, another two members lay, scanning the fields all around, making sure no one finds them. One of them has a Valken-38 with a thermal scope.

Zeth and the three other men reach the first tower. A technician opens the barrel, reaching in for an explosive. He grabs one and plants it onto the tower as the other tech grabs another. The demolition expert over watched the two techs as Zeth walked around the tower, his hand reaching for his SE-14C blaster pistol.

Thrawn sat in his command ship far above the rebels below. He stood at parade rest looking over a live holo-feed that project the scene below live. The rebels had failed to notice the probe droid that was watching from a mountain a mile away. He and Vanto had worked on it while they were assigned to a Cruiser named the Bloodstruck.

"Sir!" A Junior officer stood behind the Grand Admiral, "The TIEs are ready to deploy!" Thrawn nodded and did some calculations in his head. He wanted the rebels to regret their plans. He wanted to make a statement. He wanted them to feel hope, then despair.

"Wait for them to blow up a turbo-laser then we shall strike." Thrawn purred, turning. "I want all but the Mandalorian dead." The other man nodded and turned to ready the gunners and the TIE fighter squadron commanders.

Back on the ground, the team ran back to the hill. The demolition team had finished planting the explosives and set the timers to start counting down. Zeth sprinted for the hill, the last man to hit the ground just before a tower of flame erupted and engulfed the place where the tower once stood. The team got up to start to the next tower when Zeth held a hand up. He had heard some sort of screeching by a bird. He looked up, trying to see through the cloud cover. He squinted holding his pistol up, firing a few shots. The response he got was not of more birds screeching but of a dozen TIE fighter depending on their position.

Green bolts flew down, exploding the hill that the sniper was on. Zeth turned in time to see a TIE fighter hit the ground where the rest of his team was standing, killing them instantly. An explosion ripped through the surface, causing him to fall. Overcome with grief, Zeth started to cry as the other TIEs left. Whoever had caused these men to die, these men who volunteered their lives to his command will pay. Zeth would make sure of it.

Thrawn was in his office when he got the report. One TIE fighter destroyed, pilot killed. The only thing is is that the pilot was not a pilot, but a prisoner whom Thrawn had taken at Baton. What was also kept a secret is that the TIE was not flying, but dropping out of the sky. "The Mandalorian is also reported to be alive, Sir!" The officer said. Good. This was good. Thrawn could send the probe droid to follow the team leader back to the base. He could also attempt to find out his name.

He dismissed the officer, locking the door behind him. The Chiss took off his uniform, showing a black jumpsuit underneath. He turned to two droids who held long poles. He went to one and hit a selection of buttons, activating them. He steps back, getting in a combat stance. The droids power on and approached him. One swings the pole at him as he jumps over his desk. The two droids split up, coming from both directions. Thrawn ducks as the one on his left throws it's metallic fist over his head. The other droids swing low, causing him to retreat a bit back. The droid now behind him swiped with his arm, which the Grand Admiral caught. The droid behind him picked him up by surprise, raising him a few feet off the ground. Out of breath, Thrawn said, "Override Code: Rukh." The droids did not stop, throwing him across the room. That's when the locked door suddenly opens. A figure walks through, silhouetted by the bright lights of the hallway. His hand was outreached, a blaster in his hand.

"Grand Admiral." Agent Cosinga Funaya stood, his blaster pointed at Thrawn's face.


	8. Chapter 8: Calling Quits

Another week, another chapter! Just a heads up, I plan on having this story go on for another 8-12 chapters so I can start working on another story I've been wanting to do. I will not tell you guys the details now, but maybe next week or so. Anyways, here is Chapter : Calling Quits."

Chapter 8: Calling Quits

 _Each culture is different. Each species is unique. That presents challenges to the warrior, who often must ascertain from limited clues the strategy, goals, and tactics of an opponent. But the danger of misreading an opponent is sometimes even greater in politics. There, one seldom has the clearness of weapons activation or troop movement to warn of impending danger. Often, the only indication of conflict is when the battle has already begun._

His hand shook on the blaster. A bead of sweat slowly descended on his face. The two men stayed still, not moving in fear that the other would act.

"I'll shoot!" Agent Funaya gripped the blaster harder, leaning a bit towards the fallen Chiss. His eyes shook a small amount, glancing around the Grand Admiral, then at him. "I'll do it!" He said again. Thrawn just lay there, propped up on one shoulder, the other across his chest.

"No, you won't, Mr. Funaya." Thrawn hissed, "You've never killed a civilian or traitor before. How can you kill an Imperial High Command member?"

"I-" Funaya dropped his blaster down a bit so it was now pointing at Thrawn's chest, not his head. "That's a lie! I have killed many people in my time with the ISB!" He raised the blaster to point at the blue head again. "Don't. Push. Me." That's when they both heard the hissing and smoke poured down from the ceiling.

The Rebel War Room had been an odd mix of yelling and quiet. The five senior officers, including Megrez, stood around a table with a holo-map of a small portion of the surface of Lothal. They were briefing both the Princess and the assassin about their recent loss.

"Thrawn is a good fighter," Nikeki murmured to Athie, "I will give him that." She leaned onto the table, trying to understand the large amounts of blips. She bit her lip, wondering she could convince Athie to get off the planet when Zeth came stumbling in.

"What happened?" Athie looked at him stunned.

"I'm leaving." Zeth's voice was cold, "I'm taking the ship."

"What?!" The group of officers turned in surprise at Megrez's outburst. "You just can't leave! That's desertion!" He stomped over to Zeth, looking up at him. "You will be killed!"

"By who?" Zeth growled down.

"By me."

"You wouldn't.

"I would," Megrez reached down for his blaster at his side, but Zeth drew his dark blade and ignited it. He pushed Megrez to the floor, pointing the tip of the blade to his neck, the dark energy licking it. Megrez goes pale with fear.

"No you won't, Megrez." Both girls are stunned at this sudden move made by Zeth who usually is the one to break up fights, not cause them. Nikeki could sense something dark growing within Zeth, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was.

"I am leaving," Zeth turned and walked out, leaving everyone stunned.

The teenager sat on his throne, his head placed in his hand. His boots shone like they have been recently polished. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting. His patience had worn thin over the fourteen years of his existence. He adjusted the golden wreath that sat upon his dark hair. His dark suit was as black as empty space itself.

At the foot of his throne stood a girl who was of the boy's same age, but shorter. Her eyes were tinged yellow, her hair brown. She wore a dark tunic with a cape that had been burned by several blades over her short life. She stood with her hands at her sides, twitching for her blade.

A door at the far side of the chamber burst open, the boy's Voice rushing through. She took a knee in front of her leader's throne. "My lord," she said, her head bowed. The other girl, the boy's Wrath glanced down at the other girl, who was taller than her, but just a tad bit shorter than their leader.

"Hello, darling." The boy smirked, indicating that she should rise. He walked down to greet her. "How have you've been?"

"I have been good, my lord." She stood, looking up at him, her dark rope covering her eyes and forehead. She smiled at him. He returned the gesture of kindness. Another person came through the door.

"My Lord!" a voice gurgled. An alien stood there, it's skin grayish violet. The jagged armor looked like it was crafted out of dark stone. "I have an urgent-," the alien was cut off when the boy's wrath ran at it, lightsaber drawn and ignited. She plunged it through his armor into its chest. She let the alien fall, gasping at the wound blackened as if it was being burned. It died where it lay.

The boy chuckled, "There was no need for that."

The Wrath's voice was metallic but feminine, "He disrupted you, My lord."

He sighed, looking back at the girl in front of him. He raised his glove hand to push some of her dark hair out of her face. Neither of their faces changed. He turned, walking back to his throne as both girls stood in front of it.

"There's an invasion coming. A massive assault force of dark ships, shadowy figures, and weapons of great power, based on organic technology of a sort we've never seen before." The boy flexed his hand, "We believe these Far Outsiders, as others call them, already have a foothold at the far edge of the galaxy, and even now have scouting parties seeking information on worlds and peoples to conquer."

"Which peoples, my lord," the Voice spoke.

"Whichever one we chose, darling." He grinned down at the two, "Thankfully, they are at our disposal. We can use them to achieve our goal."

"Do we know what species these people are, my Lord?" the metallic voice rang through the chamber. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it confirmed.

The dark lord grinned down at them, his smile reaching ear to ear. "As I said before, people of this galaxy call them the Far Outsiders. I like to call them," he paused for dramatic effect, "The Yuuzhan Vong."


	9. Chapter 9: Confusion

_Hey guys, I'm back. No I didn't die, but my computer did. Booted it up one day and it said "No, fuck you." and killed itself. I got it fixed and had a long talk to it about how important this story is currently. Anyways, here is Chapter nine, "Confusion"_  
Chapter 9: Confusion

No one is immune to failure. All have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment. A warrior must not dwell on that failure but must learn from it and continue on.

The smoke fell down from the vent of the Grand Admiral's ceiling. Funaya dropped his blaster, turned and ran. He wasn't very fast, as he was trained in the ISB, not any of the Imperial armed forces. He did know, however, that he could outrun a stormtrooper if he needed, due to their clunky armor.

He sprinted around a corner and ran into an officer. "Sorry," he murmured," and kept running. He needed to get out of this base before Thrawn alerted the others. Needed to get out before he was shot. He should've taken his blaster. Damn his stupidity. Thrawn was right, he hadn't killed anyone, not because he was scared to, but because his superiors knew he would screw up and shoot himself in the foot.

The door. It was in front of him. He only needed to run a bit farther and he could run to Zeth, his "boss," and his savior. Zeth was the one who found him on Mandalore during the war, the one who had raised him from the dust and put him into the ISB training program. The one who turned him into a spy.

The door swooshed open as Funaya ran into the sunlight. Freedom. Now all he had to do was get out of the base and get to the rally point and to Zeth. From their, Zeth will take him back to wherever he would take him. From there, he would spill his guts about the inner workings of Lothal and the Imperial hold of it. That's what Zeth said would happen.

The gate was approaching fast. He was almost there, almost to freedom. Right about he was about to run through when two men in all white uniforms walked through, flanked by tall humanoids in black armor with heavy blasters.

"Agent Funaya," an old, firm voice said, "What are you doing out here?" Colonel Yularen, the head of the ISB, stood in front of him. His grey hair was being pushed slightly in the Lohalian wind. His pure white uniform was spotless, like always. Next to him stood a blue-skinned man who wore a similar white uniform, but with golden shoulder tabs. Funaya knew his name only from his long list of victories. Grand Admiral Thrawn. How did he get out before he did?

He saluted quickly, "Going for a quick run, Colonel!"

"Aren't you stationed inside?" The Chiss purred, looking down at Funaya with glowing eyes staring down at him. Funaya forced himself not to shiver. He wanted to grab his blaster and put a bolt through both of them, but there would be no chance of survival. The two men clad in black armor would blow his head off with their heavy blasters.

"Yes, sir!" he responded, his body going erect.

"Then why are you still here?" The Colonel asked, frowning. Funaya spun on his heel and ran back inside. How had the Chiss left the building before he did? Why was he with Yularen? And why the hell did Thrawn not kill him for attacking him? At least he had his life, which was important to him.

Zeth boarded the Ebony Hawk, getting ready to leave Lothal. He took a deep breath and sank into the pilot's seat. He flipped a few switches, and the engines hummed to life. He couldn't let more people die under his watch. Maybe he could fake his death, start a job as a smuggler or even go back to Mandalore and fight for his family. He smiled at the thought of the possibilities.

Then the engine died.

His eyes opened, hands flying over the control panel in front of him. He did the same command that he did before, and the engine hummed to life. A few seconds later it died. He looked out the viewport and saw what he normally would see at a rebel landing area: men and women running around and droids stumbling behind them. Something caught his eye, a glint of sunlight off of a tool that was being carried by an alien with skin of a grayish violet color. He'd never seen anything like it, but that was normal. The Rebellion could have gotten another planet under their shield while he was out.

Zeth tried an override command, a secondary engine boot up, and a complete shutdown and reboot of the system, all of them failing. Odd. He sighed in defeat, grabbed his belongings and left the Ebony Hawk. Looks like he was stuck on Lothal for the time being.

When Zeth reentered the war room, his friends were arguing about what to do with him. All of them had there backs to him and were surprised when he stepped next to Nikeki. Megrez opened his mouth to yell, then closed it.

"What?" he smirked, "At a lost for words again, Megrez?"

The assassin next to him let out a giggle, and Zeth smiled at the sound. At least someone was happy.


	10. Chapter 10: Escape

_**It's Sunday, which means a new chapter! What happens, you may ask? I can't say, but Megrez doesn't slap Zeth (Not yet at least). Anyways, here is "Chapter 10: Escape."**_  
Chapter 10: Escape

Zeth smiled at Athie, then turned to face the table. "My escape from you soldiers is delayed. The Ebony Hawk is experiencing engine failures during startup." He turned to a Lieutenant, the same one he spoke with a few days ago. "Can you get a tech on that? It would mean a lot." His answer was a brisk nod as the junior officer turned on his heel.

"Back to what I was saying before I was rudely interrupted." Megrez had both hands on the holo-table, which broadcasted an Image of Lothal and 7 red dots which Zeth assumed represented enemies, "The Grand Admiral's task force just appeared above Lothal a few minutes ago. This leaves us with two options, we fight..."

"Or we flee." Athie finished Megrez's thought. He nodded.

"If we fight, we are risking the lives of everyone in this cave. We would probably run out of food, then ammunition, then manpower. Food would run out in a few weeks, ammunition a few months, and manpower soon after that. If we flee, we can fly in low atmosphere fly off on the other side of the planet. We can reach a cruiser at our original landing point and tow the Ebony Hawk after us if needed."

Everyone around the holo-table contemplated both options. It was either lose everyone on land combat for sure or maybe lose everyone during transport. Zeth let a long breath out of his nose, causing everyone to look at him. "I think," he said, "We should evacuate. The odds would be more in his favor." Everyone around him nodded, agreeing. "Good, let's start moving out. Athie and Nikeki, with me. May the Force be with us all."

He would have to just hope the odds were in his favor.

He would have to just hope the odds were in his favor.

Grand Admiral Thrawn sat in his command chair, his face propped up on his blue hand. His intelligence personnel has reported that the rebel forces were evacuating. The location of their destination was irrelevant, as he could easily find it. The only question was where were they leaving planetfall, near them, or on the other side of the planet? Most likely the latter if they wanted to conceal their escape.

"Captian," Thrawn purred, "Can you direct our forward scopes on the rebel's base?" The Captian nodded and turned to his first officer to give the command. The Grand Admiral stood and strode to a holo-table that showed a map of the planet that they hovered above. He put a hand to his chin, stroking it. He murmured some words in the language of the Chiss. He turns and walks up the command walkway to look out the forward viewports.

He keyed his comlink on, "Captian Livon of the cruiser _Adarga_ , this is Grand Admiral Thrawn of the _Chimaera_. Move to the following coordinates that I am sending you now." He nodded at a tech seat to the right and below him. His hands flew over the keyboard and nodded back.

"Understood Admiral!" the crisp voice Captain Livon came over the comlink, "Receiving coordinates now!" Thrawn turned his com off and pocketed it into his tunic. It was only a matter of time that the rebels fall into his hands.

At the foot of a Rebel transport, orderly chaos ensured. Megrez shouted orders and Athie and Nikeki were helping the others load crates into the transport. As for Zeth, he was sitting with his feet up on a small crate scrolling through a datapad.

As he was scrolling, a shadow appeared above him. He looked up to see Athie staring down at him. "How can I help you?" He asked.

"What I want you to do," she smirked, "Is help us load up the transport before I put a blaster bolt through your head."

He jumped out of his seat and saluted smartly, "Aye Aye, Captain!" and started pushing the crate into the transport.

As soon as he was in the ship, Megrez gave the command for the rebels to get in. Zeth walked into the cockpit to see Athie and Nikeki standing around a holo-projector.

"There seems to be a glitch," Nikeki said, pointed at a red dot that was on the other side of the planet. "Our scopes say that all ships are still on this side of the planet."

"Ok," Zeth nodded, and turned to the captain, "Let's get this hunk of junk off this planet, shall we?" He nodded and started the startup sequence while talking with his pilots. He turned back to the girls, "Where Megrez?"

"Right here," Megrez came out of a door, pocketing his comlink. "Sorry about that, had to make a quick call."

"Engines online," Shouted the Captain.

"Let's go!" Megrez called out, and the transport's repulsor lifts kicked in. The ship slowly moved upwards, heading into space.

"Sir?" Someone from the crew pits spoke up, "Rebel transport is moving, shall we?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Grand Admiral Thrawn said. He took his comlink out of his tunic. "Captains, this is Grand Admiral Thrawn. Are we ready to move?" After being acknowledged, Thrawn spoke again, "Follow behind the _Chimaera_ and ready for combat. This is the beginning of the end of the Rebellion."

Soon after takeoff, the rebel space was in the calming darkness of space. Well, it was calming until a proximity alert went off.

"Captian!" a pilot yelled, "Cruiser up ahead!" The Captain swore, pulling up his datapad. Megrez spoke into his com. Everyone looked out the forwards viewports, except for Zeth. He stayed back and noticed something else.

"Star Destroyers," he said, and everyone turned to look. Three Star Destroyers were coming at them, escorted by a dozen cruisers. The Captain swore again. Megrez kept speaking into his com and then pocketed it.

"Reinforcements arriving in 30 seconds," Megrez said coldly. Then, the TIEs deplored, dozens of them.

On the other side of the transport, a Mon Calamari ship came out of hyperspace, along with a frigate and a few X-wing squadrons. Both sides flew at each other, reading for a fight. Now, all that had to happen is the transport beating the TIEs to the frigate and getting in. After that, they could flee into hyperspace. It seemed that everyone else also knew what needed to happen. The transport turned at the frigate and started towards it.

Next to Nikeki stood Zeth, Mandalorian hemlet in hand.

"Let the Force be with us."

 _ **Like what you read? Leave a review and follow me for more! Until next time, have a nice week!**_


	11. Chapter 11: Did you tell him?

Chapter 11: Did you tell him?

 _A friend can easily become an enemy. An enemy can become a friend. It is important to watch both sides, as they may attack you at any time. An attack from an enemy can be devasting, but an attack from an ally can and will be more devasting, as they know you at the personal level._

Thrawn stood in front of the forwards viewports. Speaking into his comlink he spoke, "Adarga, deploy your fighter wing and engage with X-wings. Take out any bombers they may have. Nouri and Girbral, you will do the same." Three voices confirmed their orders and spots appeared on the tactical. He looked over at the captain of the Chimaera, "I want that transport destroyed." The captain nodded and gave orders to the bridge crew.

Aboard the rebel transport, the rebels saw the X-wing and TIE engage.

"We gotta get into the cruiser fast," Zeth said anxiously, looking at the many dogfights. Megrez was in the cockpit, commanding the ship into the hull of the Cruiser Rightful.

When the boarded, Zeth ran to the bridge with Athie and Nikkei close behind. They burst through the doors, reading to take command. Zeth ran to the forward viewports, gazing out at the carnage of the battle while Athie and Nikeki looking at the tactical and helping the bridge crew.

"Sir!" The Nouri captain voice came over the comlink, "The transport has entered the Cruiser's left hanger!" Thrawn gazed out at the explosions, knowing both sides lost men. He walked over to the tactical as an X-wing flew passed the viewports, scaring most of the bridge crew. He needed to know who was in command of the Rightful, so he could exploit the captain's tactical weak points. A simple test could determine this.

Thrawn took out his com, "I want all forces to attack that frigate. Attack forward cannons."

"Zeth," Athie said, a hint of nervous energy tinting her voice, "Bombers heading for the frigate!" Zeth already knew this due to the fact that most of the command ships, the only exception being the Chimaera, were turning towards that.

"All fighters!" Zeth yelled into a com that would relay everything he said to the pilots, "engage X-wings! Nightright, do a full 180 and retreat behind the Rightful!"

"Affirmative!" The bow of the Nightright turned to starboard, starting its retreat. Zeth glanced at the tactical, observing the battle. About three X-wing squadrons were destroyed by TIE squadrons, which meant only seventeen were left to fight against forty.

Thrawn turned from the viewports, heading to his command chair. He stopped at the crew pits, speaking down to the first com officer "Ensign, contact Captian Livon to pursue that frigate. Two squadrons of TIEs should be enough to attack. Tell him to target the engines."

Zeth stood at the tactical with other rebel officers, calling commands to the bridge crew. Athie just finished giving a command to turbo laser cannons when Zeth saw the Adarga move, following the Nightright. The cruiser was being escorted with two TIE squadrons.

"Um." Athie had seen the cruiser too, "What are they do-" She was interrupted when turbo laser fire flew from the Adarga into the engines of the Nightright.

"Sir!" A com officer reported, "the bridge of the Nightright has reported that their engines are out!" More turbo laser fire streaked along the Nightright's hull, exploding turbo laser batteries.

"Send a squadron of X-wings to attack that cruiser" Megrez turned, shouting at no one in particular. A com officer relayed the command, and a few seconds later, five more X-wings appeared on the tactical.

Thrawn sat in his command chair, his legs spread and his hands resting lazily on the armrest. "Lieutenant," Thrawn turned to the junior officer next to him, "Signal the fleet to retreat."

"Pardon, Admiral?" the Lieutenant looked confused.

"If we disappear into hyperspace, they will not know if we would come back. It will keep them on their toes, and when they least expect it, we will attack." The Lieutenant nodded and gave the command, speaking into his comlink.

All of a sudden, the Empire's ships disappeared.

"What the?" a rebel officer said. Zeth ran to the viewports, gazing out to see X-wings and broken TIEs floating in space. The X-wings were coming back to the Mon-Calamari Cruiser.

"Lieutenant, get transport ships to bring personnel over from the Nightright," Zeth spoke, "If the Empire comes back, we cannot risk leaving the cruiser and our people on it."

"Understood, sir!" the Lieutenant said, turning on his heel and heading to the hanger bay. Zeth turned to Athie, Nikeki, and Megrez, motioning for them to follow him. The four of them walked off the bridge and into the busy hallway. Rebels were running about, repairing tech, delivering messages, or, in some cases, trying to get into people's way. They entered into the more private secondary bridge.

The room was dark and empty, as the main bridge was still operational. The four of them gathered around the tactical. Zeth turned it on.

"So," Megrez said, "Do any of you think that Thrawn's coming back?"Athie, Nikeki, and Zeth look between each other.

"Well," Athie murmured, "I guess it depends on how much damage we did."

"Which is virtually none." Megrez pointed angerly at Athie, "Listen, It isn't like Thrawn to retreat from a fight. Our intel shows that he always waits until he crushed the enemy to leave." Megrez slammed his fist against the table, "Something isn't right here!"

"Woah there," Zeth said, "Let's not get aggressive." Megrez started at him, eyes glowing with rage.

"Did you tell Thrawn?"

"What?" Zeth was taken aback by the accusation

"DID. YOU. TELL. THRAWN?" Megrez flew at Zeth, hands going for his neck. Zeth grabbed his blade and ignited it, its black edge humming. Megrez landed next to Zeth, his left arm cocking back. "I BET YOU DID! TRAITOR." Megrez yelled. He let his fist fly. Zeth ducked it, causing Megrez to stumble with the momentum he created. Zeth reached for his blaster, twisted a dial, and aimed it as Megrez spun.

"I don't want to do this, Megrez." Zeth's face showed no emotion.

"Traitor," Megrez spat, and quickly grabbed his blaster and aimed it at Zeth. Zeth fired a blue ball of energy at Megrez. His eyes widened as he twitched, and fell to the floor.

Zeth grabbed his comlink, and keyed a number "Lieutenant, we have an injured officer on the secondary bridge. After he is healed, I want him to stay in his chambers for the remainder of our flight." A voice at the other end spoke, but neither girl could hear it. "I'll explain later Lieutenant, just send a medic down here."


End file.
